Part of My Mind
by PrinRue
Summary: Mabel has always felt a special mental connection to her twin; all her life, she's been able to go to that little corner of her mind and feel the calming presence of her brother. But when Dipper gets lost one fall day, Mabel will have to use their special connection to find him before it's too late.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome, friends, to my first ever multi-chapter story! I don't have that much to say this time around, so I'll just get on with the first chapter of my new Gravity Falls tale, Part of My Mind.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

For as long as she could remember, a special place in Mabel's mind had been for Dipper. It was comforting, having a little piece of her consciousness dedicated to the presence of her twin. Whenever she felt alone, she could just visit that special corner of her brain, feel that quiet familiarity, and ease her thoughts.

Now, it wasn't like Mabel could hear Dipper's thoughts or anything. Even after all the weirdness they had encountered in Gravity Falls, that was something that was still a little too extraordinary for them.

But her entire life, that little space in her mind had been a constant connector to her closest friend. And it had always helped her know when he was upset, or hurt, or in trouble.

They may not read each other's minds, but they've always understood each other in a way others just couldn't.

Maybe that's why Mabel was beginning to worry one unusually hot fall day.

She shifted her position on the Pines' overstuffed couch, the knitting needles long since abandoned on the coffee table. She looked through the front windows, searching for any sign of her brother.

_Stop worrying, Mabel. He's fine. He's just out on a walk… a walk that's lasted most of the afternoon. _

Mabel sighed, laying her head on the couch armrest. Waddles looked up at her from his spot on the carpet, tilting his head worriedly at his human.

"I know Waddles," Mabel told him, patting his head. "I'm just being silly. I guess I'm just not used to him going anywhere without me…"

Waddles licked his favorite person's hand, trying to help calm her fears. Mabel smiled at the pig. "You're right, you're right. We can do things on our own. Dipper deserves to go out and explore a little. It's just…" Mabel paused, an uneasy feeling washing over her. "Something doesn't feel right."

Mabel stood up and walked over to the living room window, gazing outside.

The cloud cover had thickened throughout the day, and now looked dangerously close to dropping its water load.

_Oh, Dipper, please come home soon…_

"Mabel?" a voice behind her said in a concerned tone.

Mabel jumped and turned to see her mother standing in the living room, looking at her worriedly. "Why are just staring out the window? I mean, I know you're not immune to daydreaming, but you had this troubled look on your face. Is something up?"

"Oh, no, it's just that… well, Dipper hasn't come home yet, and it looks like it's gonna storm."

Mrs. Pines joined her daughter by the window. "Aw, sweetie, you don't need to worry about your brother. He'll be back whenever he's ready. You know he can handle himself." She smiled. "But I'm sure he'll be grateful to hear you're watching out for him." Mrs. Pines ruffled Mabel's hair affectionately before heading down the hall to her art room.

Mabel smiled back at her mom until she disappeared, then turned back to the glass.

_She's right. Dipper will be fine. _

A few raindrops began pattering against the pane, blurring the image outside.

_Then why does something feel so wrong?_

* * *

**Does that count as a cliffhanger?**

**Sorry about the short chapter, but it is just the set up, anyway. **

**Will update soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello friends! Back with the next chapter of Part of My Mind!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Dipper Pines had always considered Mabel his best friend. When it seemed like no one else was there for him, his sister was the one constant, not just a sibling, but a companion and defender.

As the twins got older, they began to make their own friends, but Dipper had never thought of anyone as highly as he did Mabel. No one could ever take her place.

Dipper too had a place in his mind for his twin. He didn't think it was as prevalent in him as it was for Mabel, but she always said he just had too many other things on his mind. Maybe she was right, but Dipper still owed many restless-turned-peaceful nights to the comfort his sister's presence provided.

That's why he wasn't worried about leaving her home alone for an afternoon. If either of them needed it, they could just use their little connection to make sure the other was okay. Sure, Mabel had still been apprehensive, but he'd assured her it'd be fine.

How he wished he'd listened a little more to her worries now.

Dipper searched frantically for some place to get cover from the storm. The thirteen year old scanned the trees, holding his vest above his head as a makeshift umbrella.

He mentally scolded himself for staying out so long, especially after noticing the gathering clouds. But he'd been so ecstatic to finally be able to put his personal Journal to use with some quality monster hunting. And now, here he was, standing in a downpour that didn't seem like it had any inkling of stopping soon.

Finally, he spotted something. It looked like an old shed of some sort, probably from before the city was urbanized. It certainly wasn't waterproof, but would at least provide some shelter.

Dipper began to run toward it, the saturated ground shifting under his shoes. That's when he felt his foot catch on a root, and his ankle twist in an extremely painful way.

Dipper cried out as he dropped his vest and put his hands out to catch himself, but he wasn't quite fast enough, falling hard on the forest floor.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

**Sorry again for the very short chapter. They will get longer as the story goes, now that the set up is out of the way. (I've never been good at writing long chapters though, to be honest). Anyway, I hope you all still enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, friends! Welcome back to Part of My Mind, with the next chapter in the story!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

It was a sensation Mabel had only experienced once before.

One second, there she was, still standing by the window, watching the torrent of rain outside, and the next, it felt like the world had suddenly gone off balance, and the edges of her vision went dark.

The only other time Mabel felt like this was when she was nine, and she and Dipper were at the park. Dipper had fallen of the jungle gym, breaking his arm and being knocked out. Mabel had freaked out when she suddenly felt like the world was ending, making her mom have to try and help her while simultaneously waiting by her injured son for the ambulance. Mrs. Pines didn't understand her daughter's meltdown at the time, but when Mabel explained it later, she did finally realized just how strong of a bond her twins had. Since then, both parents used their children's behavior in a similar way the twins did; if they saw one of the kids was content, they knew the other was too.

Now was not one of those times.

Mrs. Pines heard a sound from the living room and rushed out of her studio, only to see the front door slamming shut. She threw it open, horrified at the sight of Mabel running through the downpour toward the outskirts of town.

"Mabel!" she called out, but her daughter didn't even acknowledge the voice. It could only mean one thing: something was wrong with Dipper.

(-0-)

Mabel hadn't even registered she had run outside until she felt the rain soaking her hair and clothes. She had run on pure instinct, only fueled by the certainty that something was horribly wrong with Dipper. In the back of her mind, she knew she should've said something instead of just bolting, but those thoughts were drowned out by the primal panic she felt at the idea of her twin being in trouble.

Finally, common sense kicked in, and Mabel skidded to a stop, panting. She didn't know where she was going; Dipper could be anywhere! The girl scanned her surroundings, looking for the most likely place he would be. Aha- the woods! He had taken his Journal when he left the house, so he was probably out there.

With a new sense of direction, Mabel took off toward the trees.

(-0-)

Mrs. Pines pulled on her raincoat and shoes, grabbing her car keys and purse from the hall closet. While she briefly had been furious with Mabel for running away without telling her, she quickly gathered herself and realized there was a bigger issue at hand. Her son.

At that, Mrs. Pines knew she had to go after them. Both her kids were very capable in everyday situations, but based on Mabel's reaction, this clearly was serious.

Mrs. Pines swallowed the lump in her throat as she pulled open the car door.

All the while, the rain continued to fall.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello friends! Welcome back to Part of My Mind! In this installment, we return to the woods and check up on Dipper. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The first thing Dipper became aware of was the sensation of rain hitting saturated clothes. The next thing was the pain.

For one thing, his head hurt, probably from what he'd now determined as being knocked out. Then there was his ankle, which hurt to even slightly move. It was definitely sprained. Dipper slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, groaning as the headache flared. That was when he realized his vest was missing. The vest that had his phone in it. The phone his parents had just got him for the start of 8th grade.

_Uh oh._

Dipper, despite the pain, forced himself to his feet. He tried to take a step, but his injured right leg immediately buckled and he fell back to his knees, involuntarily crying out. He gingerly pulled his hurt ankle out to examine, wiping away the water dripping into his eyes. Dipper sighed; looked like wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and certainly not until this rain stopped.

_Well, at least Mabel's safe, _Dipper thought, absentmindedly checking for her presence. But his thoughts were abruptly put to an end, as something felt off. Normally when he checked Mabel's place in his mind, he felt comforted, content, positive. But this wasn't normal. He was overcome with a sudden wave of worry, almost as if it weren't his own.

_Mabel. _

Dipper tried to reach her further, but they weren't telepathic. He could only tell she was upset. It hit him.

_It's me. She's worried about me. _

At that revelation, Dipper pushed himself to his feet again, better preparing himself for the pain so he didn't fall. He had to get to her. He had to get back home.

All other thoughts in his mind ceased, and he only could think of one thing now.

_Mabel._

* * *

**Dun dun dun! We now have two overprotective twins on the search! How will this turn out? I honestly don't know as I'm writing this off the top of my head! So we'll both find out! Anyway, join me next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello friends! I love spring break! It's given me way too much time to feed my unhealthy obsession with this fandom! HAHAHAHA! **

**In all seriousness, though, it has been nice to have a ton of time to write and draw. So, that leads to this! Next chapter of Part of My Mind! BAM! (I am in a weird mood today sorry XD).**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Mabel reached the edge of the forest, pausing to catch her breath. She brushed her soaked hair away from her face, thankful the rain was finally slowing. Her sense of panic was worse now, and her head had started to ache.

Mabel became aware of a noise behind her, and spun around to see a car turning the corner by the woods. _Her mom's car._

_No, not yet! _Mabel thought. If her mom saw her, she'd just force her to go home, and then Dipper would be alone even longer. Mabel bolted into the trees, dropping behind a bush to hide. She heard the car pass, and waited several more seconds before getting up. She briefly sighed at the state of her now muddy sweater, then continued her trek into the brush.

"Oh, Dipper, please be close by…"

(-0-)

Mrs. Pines saw the turquoise clad figure jump into the trees. There was only one person she knew with that clothing: her daughter.

She had 2 options: jump out and go running into the woods after her, or go home and get her husband and maybe the law enforcement involved. The first option seemed like the obvious choice, and Mrs. Pines was ready to hop out of the car, but her rationale stopped her and she thought a little more. If she ran into the woods without a good idea of where she was going, she'd probably get lost just like her kids; then there'd be _three_ people to look for. If she went home and got help, that would add another level of worry to the situation as more people got involved, but they'd likely find them faster. But getting the police involved… Mabel clearly hadn't run away just to run away. The mother didn't want to put her through any trouble with officers. But then there was Dipper; if the police knew he was missing, they could get a party out to look for him. But what if…

Mrs. Pines shook her head, trying to clear her overwhelming thoughts. "Reid… I need your help…" she whispered to her husband, though she knew he wasn't there.

With that, Mrs. Pines made up her mind. She needed her spouse's assistance. He'd know what to do.

Mrs. Pines put the car in drive and headed back toward home, the first bit of dusk starting to grace the cloudy sky.

(-0-)

Mabel rubbed her eyes, trying to force them to adjust to the fading light. Now that her main source of adrenaline had been depleted, she was feeling the effects of running for so long. Once she tripped over her own feet, she decided it was time to sit for a minute.

Mabel dropped to sitting position in a huff. So much for her amazing twin sense. Now she was lost too.

That's when she felt something. Not emotionally, but literally. Like she was sitting on something soft.

Mabel tentatively shifted her position on the forest floor, and pulled the object up. Some dark fabric, almost like a navy b-

"Dipper's vest?" she said aloud. "But why is-"

Mabel quickly stood up, fatigue forgotten as she frantically scanned the area for anything else. "No, no, no, no!"

Mabel ran a couple yards ahead, and picked up another piece of her brother's wardrobe. The one he was most attached to.

Wendy's hat.

* * *

**Mwahahaha I love me an evil cliffhanger.** **See you guys soon!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, friends! I am back! **

**Don't really have anything to say here, so... on with the chapter**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Dipper tightened his grip on the large stick he'd found, using it to help lessen the strain on his injury. Everything was catching up to him. The flaring pain in his head and ankle was foremost, but now, he was feeling weak from the earlier rain and cold front that had come through. Leave it to his dumb immune system to ruin everything; he was always more prone to sickness than Mabel.

Plus, he was still no closer to getting out of the woods, and there was little daylight left. If he hadn't been so eager to find that stupid creature, maybe he would have payed more attention to where he was. Then he wouldn't have gotten turned around and he'd be out of this mess.

And to top it all off, he'd lost his hat and vest somewhere in his panic. His phone, his Journal, his prized gift from Wendy. No ideas where they were.

Dipper grumbled to himself as his mood continued to worsen. He had maybe another hour of light; then it'd be a cold night in the trees for him. Alone, with a sprained ankle and rain-induced sickness.

A snap in the distance made him jump back to reality. Dipper paused his walking, eyes darting from tree to tree, looking for any sign of what caused the noise. He tried to quiet his ragged breathing, but his oncoming cold was making it difficult.

Finally, he spotted movement. What could it be? A deer? A monster?

That's when be felt it. That little part of his mind, calling out to him. He was overcome with a sense of relief, so sudden it couldn't possibly be his own. Which could only mean…

"Mabel!"

(-0-)

"Mabel!"

Mabel's heart froze at the sound of her name, the voice speaking it painful and strained, but not far away. _Dipper. _

All other thoughts ceased in her mind and she began running in the direction of the call. "Dipper!" she yelled, getting another cry for her in return, weaker this time. She quickened her run even more at the distressed sound.

_It's him, it's him, it's him. I found him! Oh please, please be okay…_

Mabel brushed stray tears from her eyes, not wanting her emotions to get the best of her. Her brother needed her.

Finally, she spotted him. Stumbling toward her, clearly on the verge of collapse. Mabel no longer felt the saturated leaves under her feet. She could only focus on her twin's struggling form.

That's when his knees finally gave out, and he fell to the ground. Mabel yelled in pure terror at the sight, and her twin sense blacked out once again.

* * *

**So, the twins are finally together! But will Dipper be okay? What about the parents? And the ensuing nighttime?**

**Find out in the FINAL THREE CHAPTERS of Part of My Mind! (That's right, only THREE left to go!)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, friends! Welcome back to Part of My Mind. Sorry (not sorry) about that previous cliffhanger, mwahaha.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

Mrs. Pines threw open the front door of her home, yelling her husband's name.

He came running out of the kitchen, panicked. "What? What's wrong?"

"The kids. They're- they're both gone. Dipper has been missing since this afternoon, and Mabel went out to go after him. I followed her, and she ran into the woods. Now they're both missing."

"Well, what are we doing talking about it? We have to go find them!" Mr. Pines answered, his voice clearly worried.

The parents jumped into the family car and headed out to search for their lost twins.

(-0-)

"Dipper!" Mabel screamed, sprinting the last few yards to him and dropping to her knees. She pulled his limp head onto her lap, brushing his hair away to feel his temperature. "Oh, you're burning up!" Mabel looked around the area of woods, her mind racing. She needed to get back to town, but she had no idea where they were, or even which way she came from. And now, she had a unconscious twin in dire need of help.

"Oh, what do I do… think, Mabel, think." She looked at her brother, who was now shivering intensely, then back at their surroundings. "Don't worry, Dipper. I'm never going to leave you..."

(-0-)

"Here! This is where Mabel entered!" Mrs. Pines exclaimed, and her husband slammed the brakes.

The two hopped out of the vehicle, clicking on their flashlights.

Mrs. Pines, in all her motherly instincts, bolted into the trees without a second thought.

"Lynn! Wait up! I don't need you getting lost too!" Mr. Pines called out, running after her.

All while the sky turned from a deep dusk purple to nighttime black.

(-0-)

Mabel pulled Dipper closer, trying to keep him from the elements and getting even more sick. She should've known. Dipper was out in the rain for hours, and he'd never had the best immune system. She should've gone out looking for him sooner. She should've gotten help. She should've done a lot of things.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, bro. I wasn't there when I should've been. It's my fault you're hurt and sick." Mabel sniffed, the gravity of the situation finally catching up to her. She hugged his limp form close, biting back her emotions.

_It's going to be alright. I'm here._

* * *

**And the climax builds! **

**I hope you will all join me next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry it took a while to get an update for this! I've been crazy busy at school since returning (And will be for the next few weeks with AP exams and preparing for finals at the beginning of June...). But I still wanted to get the next chapter out!**

**And now, for a specific message to a review on my story "Curtains" by a guest called "a sad fan": I only posted that story before more of this one because I was having a hard time getting this chapter right. I didn't want to make too long of a wait before I posted, so I put up one of the one shots I'd written. Hopefully you see this and read it :)**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

It was hard to explain.

One second, she was there, terrified, cradling her unconscious brother, and the next, she felt as if everything was alright. Which confused her, considering every reason she had to be afraid right now.

It was like a switch had been flipped, almost as sudden as earlier when she'd felt Dipper cut out from her conscience.

Mabel looked down at him. "D-Dipper?"

Slowly, his eyes cracked open. "Hey, Mabel…" he said weakly, his voice barely a whisper.

"Dipper!" Mabel cried out, hugging him tighter than she ever had before. "I- I thought you- oh, I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Mabel… can't breathe…" Dipper said, though in all honesty he was grateful to feel her crushing hug.

"Heh, sorry." Mabel released her grip. "I just… I'm happy you're back…" she felt that lump in her her throat returning.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," he consoled, finally pushing himself upright. "We're going to be okay."

"But, bro, I have no idea where we are, or which way home is, or-"

"We- we'll figure it out. But for now-"

"Yes. Now, you need to rest."

"What? No I-"

"DIPPER!"

"Fine…"

The twins laid back against one of the trees, content and finally feeling secure with one another. It was silent for a moment until Dipper spoke.

"You were right, you know."

"What?" Mabel turned to look at him, his expression only illuminated by the sparse moonlight.

"I do just have too many things on my mind."

Mabel, blinked, waiting for him to go on.

"But when I was knocked unconscious- both times- it was different." Dipper finally turned to return Mabel's gaze. "I… I never felt alone. It was like you were right there with me. Like I could hear you talking to me. I felt… safe."

"You- you did?"

"Yeah," Dipper said, smiling gratefully at his sister. "Thank you, Mabel. For never giving up on me."

* * *

**YAY! Dip is okay! And only one chapter left! How will the story conclude? Find out next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello friends, and welcome to the final installment of Part of My Mind! This has been a fun experience for me to write, and I'm very thankful for everyone who faved and followed and reviewed. It meant a lot to me, and makes me happy knowing you enjoyed this story!**

**Now, without further ado, enjoy this super fluffy conclusion!**

* * *

Mabel was slowly pulled out of the darkness of sleep, and at first she couldn't figure out why. It seemed like it was getting brighter, but she knew it couldn't have been morning yet. Then she heard it.

"I- I found them! Reid! They're over here! Oh my goodness, they're over here!"

Mabel became more aware of her surroundings when she picked up her mother's frantic, yet relieved voice. She was cold, but not shivering, and could tell she was going to be sore for a while. She could feel Dipper's body leaned against hers, and her own stiff muscles slowly waking up.

_Dipper!_

Mabel opened her eyes, and saw a flashlight beam sweeping over the two of them. She looked down at her brother quickly, relief flooding over her when she saw he was okay, sleeping softly. She looked back to the light, squinting against the change in brightness on her darkness-adjusted vision.

"M-Mom?" Mabel croaked out, her voice rough from disuse and cold.

"Mabel! Oh Mabel!" The flashlight swung wildly as the person holding it ran towards her. Soon Mrs. Pines was on the forest floor, tears flooding her eyes, as she threw her arms around her children. Mr. Pines raced up behind her, his emotions close to escaping as well.

"Oh my God, Dipper, is- is he-" the worried father started.

"He's okay," Mabel said quickly. "Just asleep."

_This time, _she thought to herself.

"What happened to you two? Mom said you ran away without telling her!"

"I… I'm sorry, Dad. I just… knew something was wrong with Dipper, and I had to get to him. I'm lucky I did, too, or he might've…" Mabel trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

"It doesn't matter right now," Mr. Pines said assuringly. "Right now, we need to get you two home." Mabel nodded, grimacing as she pushed herself up.

Mr. Pines leaned down and gently scooped Dipper up. Upon being moved, the boy groggily looked up and said, "D-Dad? You're here…"

"Shh, it's okay, Dipper. We're going home." The father answered.

"My ankle…"

"We'll get it taken care of."

And all the way to the car, Mabel held her brother's hand, glad to finally be back with her family.

(-0-)

As always, the first thing Mabel became aware of was that part of her mind, reassuring her of her twin's presence, before anything else made its way to her waking consciousness. She could feel the quiet sensation that let her know, _he's there, he's okay. _It was a welcome feeling, one she'd been worried she'd lose.

With her secret sixth sense taken care of, the next thing Mabel felt was the soft sheets and comforter that told her she was back in her own bed, safe and secure.

Mabel opened her eyes to see the light dimly filtering in through her curtains, the seemingly endless posters on her walls lightly illuminated. She brushed her covers back, creaking open her bedroom door and tiptoeing two doors down to her brother's room. The door was open only a crack, and she pushed it a little wider to peek in.

Dipper was in his bed, the blankets steadily rising and falling. His right foot was propped up on a pillow at the end of the bed, carefully wrapped up in the emergency gauze their parents kept in the closet. But he was okay.

Dipper shifted slightly, turning his head toward the door. "Hey, sis." He whispered.

"How're you doing?" She asked in return.

"Been better. Been worse, too." He answered.

Mabel nodded, before turning to leave him to rest.

"Wait, Mabel?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You already said that yesterday."

"But once is never enough."

"Dip, you don't even need to say it. It's what we do." Mabel smiled at him.

"I know. But it still feels right." He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Can… can you come lay with me for a while?" He asked quietly.

"Of course, bro."

Mabel made her way over to him, being careful not to jostle his hurt leg, and snuggled into the covers.

"I'm sorry for scaring you." Dipper said after a moment.

"I'm just glad you're safe. That's all that matters to me."

Dipper closed his eyes, finding himself in that special place he shared with his sister, and knowing she was doing the same.

"Me too."

THE END

* * *

**And it's done! Thank you so much again for reading! I must say that I really do fancy myself more of a one or two shot writer, but this was fun! **

**Join me tomorrow for a new HTTYD story! (I finished it alongside this lol).**

**-PrinRue**


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